Beyond Courage: One Regiment Against Japan, 1941-1945 - Hardcover

Cave, Dorothy

9780962294075: Beyond Courage: One Regiment Against Japan, 1941-1945

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0962294071 ISBN 13: 9780962294075

Publisher: Yucca Tree Pr, 1992

Bataan, the last bastion stemming the Japanese tidal wave across the Pacific, was about to fall. In the midst of crashing bombs and depleted stores, the vastly outnumbered lines broke and commands disintegrated. Only one unit, 'Old Two Hon'erd," a small band of New Mexico National Guardsmen, remained intact. With only rifles, a few rounds of ammunition, and an unshakable esprit de corps, they prepared to die but not surrender. In her award-winning history, Dorothy Cave follows the members of a small unit who played a key role in this pivotal moment in history. They were the first unit to fire when the Japanese struck. They guarded the bridges of the strategic retreat as all others crossed into Bataan to make the now-famous stand. They were the last to lay down arms, and did so only when ordered by the high command. Then followed the Death March, starvation, and brutality of Japanese POW camps and Hell Ships. Laughing at their captors, they sabotaged the Japanese war machine at every chance. They were still fighting in Uncle Sam's army and only half returned. Amid human depravity, described in graphic detail, they kept their faith, honor, and a profound love of their country. Theirs is a legacy of courage and something beyond. Dorothy Cave's literary credits include two Southwest Writers' Awards, the Simon Scanlon Award, and the International Literary Award. She has served as historical consultant for two film documentaries on the Battle of Bataan and the ensuing POW experience, and appears in both films as commentator. This book, now, classic, is widely regarded as "the definitive volume" on the subject. Cave's other books, all from Sunstone Press, include "Four Trails to Valor," "Mountains of the Blue Stone," "Song on a Blue Guitar," and "God's Warrior: Father Albert Braun, O.F.M., Last of the Frontier Priests."

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From the Publisher:

One regiment against Japan, 1941-1945
Their irrepressible spirit and unshakable faith that their coun- try would liberate them, enabled them to survive........ "The men joined the Army for adventure, fun, and a few extra dollars. They found themselves facing a Japanese juggernaut with old weapons, too little food, and only their esprit de corps as a defense. BEYOND COURAGE is a wrenching look at the small band of New Mexico National Guardsmen of the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, sent to the Philippines just before WWII and captured there at the fall of Bataan. Acknowledged in 1941 as the best antiaircraft regiment in t he Army, the 200th (and the battle-born 515th) fought the Japanese until starvation forced the surrender of over 70,000 Americans and Filipinos. The New Mexicans were the last organized resistance on Bataan to face the Japanese. Little did the men know that the worst was yet to come. From the Bataan Death March to the staggering death rates at the O'Donnell prisoner of war camp, the story of the 200th is told in unstinting, horrifying, believable detail. Dorothy Cave's exhaustive original research gives the reader a personal, first-hand account as the 200th and 515th travel through the prisoner of war camps of the Japan- ese empire. The shocking brutality of the Japanese is exposed as a recurring, unrelieved, and barbaric way of life. That any of the New Mexicans survived at all is a testament to their toughness and comradery. The 200th "buried its own" as it left the Philippines on the hell ships, fighting to survive the death throes of Japan's war maching. At every opportunity, using every wile imaginable, the starved, diseased men sabotaged Japanese work projects and machinery. Throughout their imprisonment, they sus- tained their faith in their country and in their ultimate deliver- ance. American POWs from other units marveled at how "those damned New Mexicans" looked out for each other, shrugging off Japanese attempts to break unit cohesion." - - LTC John W

About the Author:

Dorothy Cave spent much of her childhood exploring with her geologist father the isolated villages and mountains of northern New Mexico, a practice she continues today. Although her formal education was at Agnes Scott College and the Universities of Colorado and Wyoming, she feels her true education has come from these remote but rapidly vanishing hamlets and pueblos and from the soil-rooted wisdom of those who live in them. Cave has traveled widely, danced with the Atlanta Ballet, acted, and taught. She is the author of two histories: BEYOND COURAGE, which won the New Mexico Presswomen's Zia Award, and FOUR TRAILS TO VALOR. Her first novel, MOUNTAINS OF THE BLUE STONE, was also published by Sunstone Press.

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